The holiday hustle is set to seriously spike at the San Antonio International Airport this week with a robust surge of military personnel en route to reunions with loved ones. In what's being billed as an annual Holiday Block operation, over 4,000 service members are all scheduled to jet off home. According to FOX San Antonio, the operation marks one of the most intense travel periods over the four-day Xmas holiday span.
Airport spokesperson Tonya Hope advises travelers to arrive early, specifically at least two hours before takeoff. Passengers, including PV2 Thomas Oswald told KSAT, "I’m nervous. I’ve never really flown by myself before. It’s, like, weird trying to figure everything out, but I’m glad I got here early."
The early hours of Thursday reported all flights taking off as clocked—on time—despite the snaking lines and extended waits indicative of such a mass exodus. Civilians and servicemen alike waded through the thickening crowds, all the while camaraderie and the common urgency to homeward bound seemed to bind them in a shared experience.
PV2 Trinity Garner, set to depart for Pennsylvania, spent her waiting hours sharing video games and banter with compatriots—a sentiment echoed by fellow servicefolk ticking down the minutes. “The last couple of weeks, we’ve all been talking about. This is the time, the most exciting for us,” Garner shared in an interview with KSAT.
